 30 Apr 2010 @ 14:11
OPENNESS
Nothing is meant to be.
There is no predestination.
In ancient texts, the idea of predestination is very strong, but the
usage of the term is purely metaphorical. People in the past used the
word to express feelings of affinity for a place, a time, or for others.
But nothing of the future is set.
There is no cosmic puppeteer at work. We are solely responsible for
our own actions. It is true that we can become mired in circumstances so
strong and so far-reaching that they will continue to have ramifications
far into the future. For example, if we construct circumstances right,
such as starting an organization to help others, then the good will last
for a long time. However, if we fall far into debt and do nothing to
help ourselves, then the bad will also last a long time. Yet in both
cases, our lasting situations are results of our own actions. This is
not destiny. It is causality.
Causality is from the past, and nothing is acting from the future.
There is no script, no pattern to walk into. Everything has to be
created, and we are the artists.
Those who follow Tao endeavor to have as few restrictions placed
upon them as possible. By completing each action, they minimize
causality. By living fully in the present, they absorb the best of what
each day has to offer. By understanding that there is no literal
destiny, fate, or predestination, they keep the future as free and open
as possible. That is truly the openness of life.
365 Tao: Daily Meditations
Deng Ming-Dao
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